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Pixie Dust and Hydrogen Part 2
||Previous Chapter||Next Chapter|| "Ah... the start of a new school year!" Apple sighed, twirling joyously into her new-assigned room. "Has there ever after been a better feeling?" "Uh, maybe... the end of the school year?" Briar laughed, following her in. "I'm glad we get to be roommates this time, though. Not that rooming with Ashlynn wasn't great... but, well, you know her. Twelve o'clock, sharp, she's out like a light. It can get tough to stay quiet." "It gets hextremely hard, especially when you've got tons more Crownculus homework left to go," Apple shook her head and chuckled. "Rooming with Raven was pretty fun... but she's really, really sensitive to bright lights. Maybe it's something to do with the dark magic thing?" "Maybe," Briar shrugged. "What classes do you have this semester, anyways?" "Well, I signed up for Crownculus II, Princessology III, and Good Kingdom Management 103, of course," Apple set about sweeping her side of the room. "And I got Headmaster Grimm to waive Damsel-In Distressing, since that part of my story's technically over. I'm taking History of Heroic Questing instead, since I don't know what's going to happen in the future... maybe I'll have to give out a quest later on." "Hey, me too! Well," Briar chuckled. "Headmaster Grimm didn't waive Damsel-in-Distressing for me, but I've got Crownculus, Princessology, and Good Kingdom Management, too. History of Heroic Questing is my history prerequisite. " "I'm glad there'll be a familiar face there... we can borrow each others' notes," Apple beamed. "I put down Regional Fairytale Variation for my history prerequisite, and AP Fairy-Physics for science. The Student Council, as usual, is going to be my elective this year... and, of course, I can't forget the required Grimmnastics class!" "Ouch-- AP Fairy-Physics sounds like an all-nighter waiting to happen," Briar jibed, wiring her sound system before doing anything else. "Jillian convinced the teachers to run this crazy awesome Extreme Gym Class thing, so I was the first to sign up for that. Sorry I won't see you in regular gym class, but class credit for parkour is too hexciting to pass up!" "I'll have bandages ready for when you return," Apple shook her head, long used to her friend's antics. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't sign up for AP Fairy-Physics, you're amazing at Che-myth-stry! That study party was completely unforgettable-- as well as all the things I learned from it." "Aw, thanks," Briar grinned, "Actually, I did do well enough in Professor Rumplestiltskin's class to get in... but honestly, a class where the prerequisite is an A in Che-myth-stry? That might just be too hardcore even for me. You're going to be on your own for that one... though, of course, you'll probably do spelltacular even without my help." "I'll definitely do my royal best," Apple agreed. She gave pause a moment, then realized, "I don't think you mentioned which elective you were taking this year. What kind of class is it?" "My elective this year... oh my fairy godmother, you won't believe how awesome this class is," Briar at last got her music to hook up. "Okay, so you know how Maid Marian used to do all sorts of crazy things when she first got involved with Robin Hood's story? Leading the Merry Men in thievery, feats of acrobatics... that sort of stuff?" "Didn't she write a book about it?" Apple pondered, trying to recall those stories. "I guess she did. Anyways, she heard about Darling and her escapades and now, she's teaching a class in Self-Rescuing for Damsels!" Briar fairly squealed. "Apparently, she didn't know there was an interest in any of that stuff before. I guess your Princess Charming really opened the door for the rest of us in heroics." "Well," Apple reddened. "I... wouldn't exactly call her my Princess Charming." A flicker of confusion passed Briar's face, "The kiss? The whole one-true-love thing? I mean, Headmaster Grimm basically said you were done with your fairytale, Darling rescued you; cue the happily ever after." "We, um," Apple cleared her throat, a little nervous. "We haven't exactly... talked since then." "Wait. So you haven't 'talked,'" Briar attempted to clarify, "Or you haven't 'talked.'" "We haven't done either," Apple sighed, anxiously bit her lip. "She only mentioned that she was trying to give me CPR that day. Maybe she thinks the whole thing is a mistake?" "You don't just hit 'true love's kiss' by mistake," Briar insisted, "Besides! Even though romantic true love is what the original fairytale says, who's to say it's not a platonic soulmates deal? I think I read a fairytale about a girl who brought her sister back from death by crying tears of pure, familial love. Pretty sure there's another one about a princess who spent twelve years weaving nettles to save her cursed brothers." "I'm, um," Apple coughed nervously. "I appreciate the suggestion, I really do! But I'm pretty sure it's not really... platonic." "Well, it's not a bad thing you're feeling romantic, either," Briar grinned, knowing this was as close as she was ever going to get to an outright confession. "As long as you're not forcing yourself to feel one way or another, it's all good in my book. Either way, you're going to have to talk to her sometime-- you know, it's not really like you to avoid conversations." "I've tried! I've tried to talk to her like sixty-three and a half times since after the Dragon Games," Apple visibly deflated, sighing as she leaned against her broom. "But, you know, she does that thing where you're looking at her one second, and then she tosses her hair, and it's just so long and soft and totally enchanting-- I mean, distracting-- and then she just disappears. Like she was only ever there for a split second." "You know, that's the first time I've heard about enchanting hair... but I guess she is from the same family that produced Daring's literally blinding smile," remarked Briar, mulling over the issue as she began puzzling over A/V plugs. "Have you tried sending her a message on MyChapter yet?" "I didn't... though I kind of wish I had." Unable to stand the anxiety of the matter any longer, Apple redoubled her cleaning efforts. "It's just that I thought it would be better to have this sort of conversation in person. I mean... I've never had this sort of conversation before, since my parents and the Charmings just all sort of assumed, and even though Daring and I agreed we wouldn't make anything official in high school, I've always been the one getting asked out." "I... guess I can see it from your side of the page," Briar nodded, slowly. "I mean, I can't imagine it's easy to start a conversation like that. What would you even say? 'Hey, thanks for accepting my friend request, let's start planning the royal wedding?'" "Besides, all royal etiquette books all say that matters of betrothal should be handled face-to-face to avoid insult or confusion," Apple attempted a smile. "This is my fairytale we're talking about. I just don't want to mess it up... especially since none of us are totally sure about how happily-ever-after ends anymore. And since Darling's kind of on the Rebel side of things, I don't know... maybe she was just happy to be the one to rescue me. Maybe she's not really interested in pursuing the rest of the story." "Well, you know what I say-- you only live once upon a time," Briar stood and dusted off her knees. "And you'll never end a story you never tell." "If only I could get her to talk to me about it," Apple sighed. "I know the situation is hextremely awkward... but that still doesn't explain why she's avoiding me." "Maybe it's like... you know how, whenever Raven was around, Dexter used to go completely quiet for minutes at a time?" Briar offered. "Like before they actually went out on a date. And... now that I think about it, my cousin Rosabella mentioned that sometimes even Daring is prone to stumbling over his words! Maybe it's like... a Charming thing. Maybe they're usually good enough at talking, but they've been cursed to get super nervous when they care about what someone else thinks." "Briar," Apple chuckled, seeming to relax a little at last. "I think that applies to everyone." "See?" Briar joked. "A universal curse! Everyone's got it." "Anyways... we'll have plenty of time to brainstorm ideas this afternoon," Apple at last finished sweeping. "After we're done with decorating our room!" "All right," Briar hit the music on her sound system. "Sounds like a decorating party to me!" ----- And, too, emerging from a dorm room several doors down did Raven Queen and her new roommate, Maddie Hatter, at last finish settling in for the new school year. "I can't believe we finished setting up so quickly," Raven shook her head, bemused. "You even managed to get that done faster than me, and I was using magic!" "Well, since I only ever went as far as Book End, it was easier for the school to remember what was never first forgotten, or if forgotten, only ever briefly misplaced, and certainly not so far as more than a hop, a skip, and a somersault away," Maddie beamed, throwing her arms around her best friend. "But not to worry, Raven, the school hasn't misplaced you, either! I'm sure your blankets and dorm decorations will make themselves comfortable again quick as a fiddle." "You know, I think that kind of actually makes sense," Raven grinned, "Either I'm already learning new things...or I'm starting to go a little crazy." "Why not both?" Maddie bounded down the hall. "Who says you can't learn things and start to going a little mad at the same time? Why, if I didn't know better-- and I don't know better-- I'd say that was the entire reason High School exists!" "Maybe I'm not going crazy," Raven chuckled. "Maybe you're starting to go sane." "Well, we can't have that, now can we?" Maddie shook her head, her hair flying everywhere. "To Book End for teatime! There's nothing a big ol' cup of my dad's tea can't fix." "Hexcellent," Raven winked at her own pun. "Maybe afterwards, we can go buy the books and other supplies for our classes. The required reading for History of Heroic Questing is a mile-long list." "Oh! But you can do the whole--" and here Maddie rolled her eyes back into her head and made an odd expression, "--scccchlurp!-thing with books, right?" "Maybe. I guess? I haven't really tried it since we fought Courtly in Wonderland... and I was kind of a little zoned out at the time," Raven scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "I mean, I definitely remember how to do it. But I'm pretty sure if I do, I'll wind up literally absorbing the book again, which just... feels weird. Probably the most evil thing that book gave me was a royally wicked, extra-pulpy headache." "Now that's saying something, considering how much of your mom's evil magic was in there," Maddie giggled, pouring herself a cup of pre-teatime tea. "One lump or two?" "Maddie, maybe now isn't the best time to--" Suddenly, as they rounded the corner, she bumped into a walking stack of boxes and spilled the scalding drink. "Woah!" Raven extended her magic, attempting to catch the several falling objects at once. "Aw man!" Dexter cursed, landing on his rear. "Whee!" cried Maddie, suspended mid-trip by Raven's magic. She slurped up a portion of the tea that was floating in midair. "Now that's something I only get to do every couple of weeks!" Raven cast once more, vanishing away the tea, still hot, and carefully setting down her friend and the various boxes. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Dex," she winced, faintly embarrassed. "Are you okay?" "You sure took a tumble there," Maddie offered him a hand up, and pulled a feather-duster from her hat so as to tidy him. "You know, usually it's the other way around! People bumping into tea, instead of tea bumping into people. My tea and I are both hextremely sorry." "No! No, it was totally my fault," Dexter, mortified, hurriedly straightened his glasses. "I mean. I was just helping Darling move her stuff, and I shouldn't have been running up the stairs with so many boxes and, um. You look good, Raven... how was your summer?" He closed the sentence with an awkward, shaky smile. "My summer...?" Raven smiled back, laughing a little. "Oh, you know... it was good. I went back home to see my dad, mom and I argued less than usual on Visiting Day... and then I came here. Where I am now. So, um, how was your summer?" "Gort," Dexter fumbled. "Wait-- I meant good, not gort. Because I, uh, started saying 'good' and then it turned into 'great,' but... way to go there, Dex." Maddie giggled to herself. "I'm going to go on ahead to check on my dad, you know him, always mixing up the elevenses with the three-ses and the batter with the bread-and-butterflies! I'll see you two in Book End!" She pulled her hat down over the rest of her body, then popped her head out to add a "toodles!" before promptly disappearing, hat and all. "I won't tell her that hat-portation isn't possible if you don't?" Raven suggested. "Maybe it is possible... I'm still not completely sure her hat's not a wormhole," Dexter chuckled back nervously. "I, um. I should go put these in Darling's room." "I'll help." Raven grabbed the first two of several boxes and winced, immediately channeling a little magic into her arms to give them a boost. "Fairy Godmother, these are heavy... what's even in these?" Dexter rolled his back and hefted up the other boxes. "I think the ones you got are... her helmet and spaulders? Maybe one of those has some extra decorative armor in it." "Is all of this armor? As in, stuff Darling wears all the time?" Raven began walking to the nearest dorm. "Where are we going?" "Third door down on the right," Dexter nodded. "And, uh, she doesn't wear the White Knight stuff all the time, anymore, but it's amazing to think she can actually fight in this, since she's kind of... you know, smaller in frame. Daring might still be on the stairs, trying carry up her collection of leg armor." "That's pretty impressive," Raven admitted, at last dropping the heavy boxes at the door to knock. Darling yanked the door open, "Oh! Raven, it's so nice to see you. I hope my brothers haven't bothered you into helping." "Nah, I just ran into Dexter in the hall... I think he's right behind me," Raven answered. "I'm here," Dexter wheezed, setting down his own boxes. "I should probably go check if Daring's okay." "Oh, he'll be fine," Darling grinned, beginning to unbox her various supplies. "You know how he's been about 'proving his heroicism' lately... you can help me start shelving these swords, since you actually remember sword taxonomy." "All right," Dexter seemed outright relieved by this prospect. "So," Raven began, "How was your summer?" "Oh-- well, I guess busy might be one word for it," Darling shook her head. "Since Daring and I wound up switching basically all of our classes, there was a lot to catch up on, and that's not even counting Dex's make-up practical exams. Thanks, by the way, for the General Villany notes... I have no clue how Daring would've passed otherwise!" "No problem, I'm glad to lend a hand," Raven grinned, carefully, examining a pile of swords. "Though, Daring should probably know I won't be able to lend notes for this year... since I'm not taking General Villany anymore!" "Thank fairy godmother!" Darling laughed, beginning to hang up her various sets of fashion-chainmail. "You're not the only one who's relieved they can choose their own destiny. In fact, since Dex isn't exactly crazy about some of the hero courses, I've been trying to get him to go off-script, too. What do you think, Raven?" "Dexter Charming, Rebel?" Raven eyed him briefly. "I kinda like the sound of that." "W-what? N-no, Raven, she's definitely just joking," Dexter nearly dropped the sword he was placing. "Besides, what would else would I even do?" "You were pretty good at the whole evil laugh thing," Darling smiled slyly. "Even though you only had half a page of notes to go off of, I could've sworn you were going to hex us all to pieces!" Dexter mumbled, "Well, maybe Raven just takes really good notes?" "That's definitely not it," Raven shook her head. "Everyone gets the same information, and some people have to re-take the Evil Laughter unit twice. This, I've got to hear, though." "N-no, I'm not... well, I'm not going to pursue a career in villany; I like the whole... being good thing," Dexter sputtered. "Anyways, like the notes said, it was basically all details. I set up a holoprojector on my Mirrorphone for some lighting effects, a little bit of dramatic music..." "Oh hex, that's smart," Raven groaned, hitting herself in the forehead. "I wish I'd thought of doing that for the final. Maybe I would've gotten better than a C in that class." "It's all right," Darling assured. "A pass is a pass, and you're no longer in the villany career path, so I'm sure it scarcely matters at all." "I still would've needed it, since it's a prerequisite for Mysterious Prevarication I," Raven shrugged. "But mostly, I'm just glad I'm through with it." "All right, that's the last of the swords," Dexter wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. "You're getting to be pretty popular, Darling, if this is how many gifts you got after one summer." "A lot of knight companies want to recruit me," Darling nibbled her lip curiously, then shrugged. "I haven't the vaguest idea why they keep sending me swords in particular, though I am grateful for them... I just wish they'd be a little more creative sometimes. Maybe a set of gauntlets would be nice... or a grappling hook. Oh! I have yet to give waraxes a try!" "You're going to want to save that one for Advanced Heroics," Daring leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "I've heard some teachers do a unit on dueling with axes. Where did you want all this leg armor?" "Shoe closet," Darling immediately answered, flinging open the door in question. "Anyways, Dex... I guess I should let you and Raven catch up for a bit. Thanks for the help, but you're free to go." "Oh! Uh, if you're sure about it," Dexter managed a wonky smile. "Um. We were supposed to meet Maddie in Book End... right?" "Her dad's tea shoppe," Raven agreed, and glanced strangely in Darling's direction, "You're totally positive you're okay in here?" "How can she not be? She has her big brother Daring Charming as an assistant," Daring winked. "I'll hear all about it later, lil' bro." Dexter and Raven exchanged a glance, then decisively shrugged and set away down the hall, bidding Daring and Darling a farewell. Book End was maybe an hour's walk away, and though Raven felt reasonably confident in her ability to, for example, teleport there, neither did she feel wholly at ease with using her powers in such a flashy manner. She was worried, perhaps, or self-conscious-- she disliked the thought that Dexter might think she was trying to show off. "So," she began, a little awkwardly. Attempting to joke, "No chance of you ever transferring into villainous studies, huh?" "Darling... exaggerated a little," he flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I like heroics, at least the logistical portion! But... I did look into non-hero type careers for a while. It's just... well, there aren't any stories about princes who solve puzzles, or princes who don't go off on adventurous quests, and I don't really have the prerequisites for anything else. Except villany, I guess, but that's mostly because of my electives. Things like 'Hexonomy' and 'Science and Sorcery.'" "I'm pretty amazed you volunteered for those classes. I've got Hexonomy this year and even the online syllabus looks wicked hard," Raven shook her head, just barely able to fathom it. "Then again, I'm not much of a numbers person. You and Humphrey Dumpty are basically tech support for the whole school already... isn't there a career path for that, too?" "Sort of... it's in Nursery Rhymes. Counting and Numerical Tales," Dexter scuffed his food against the pavement. "But my family's huge on the fairytale tradition destiny thing, there's no way I'd get the OK for it. Daring got a long MirrorMail about it from dad. Our parents haven't even tried contacting Darling. Haha... it's kind of silly, I guess. That I'm still worried about what my parents will think even after all the crazy things that happened last year. Uh. Not crazy as in bad crazy, but crazy as in... you know, things people don't normally expect? The, uh, surprising kind of crazy?" "The good kind of crazy, I hope," Raven smiled slightly. The back of her hand slightly nudged his as they walked. "Yeah, definitely the good kind of crazy. Really... unexpectedly good," Dexter coughed and desperately tried to change the subject. "So, um... have you talked to Apple lately? I'm asking for a friend. And, uh, by 'friend,' I mean 'sister.'" "Finally! Someone else said it," Raven laughed, shaking her head. "I ran into her and Briar a little earlier today... I don't think they even exchanged hext messages all vacation. She and your sister, I mean... not she and Briar. I'm not really dead set on things like 'destined to be' or 'true love's kiss' or anything like that... that's more Cupid's area of expertise. But Apple... you should see the way she talks about her. She acts like she's in a walking dream." "Yeah..." Dexter agreed quietly, familiar with exactly that sensation. "I mean, yeah, Darling's kind of like that, too... like, once, I caught her looking at Apple's MyChapter page. I mean... not like I have any personal experience with that. But she was probably too nervous to send a friend request or a message... which is definitely not like her. Daring's not all that observant, but even he's noticed enough to start getting worried. We both are." "I'm not saying that they have to get together, blah blah happily ever after, or anything like that," Raven sighed. "But seriously. Would it kill them to have one actual conversation?" "You know Darling... she's always been pretty stubborn," Dexter tucked his hands into his pockets. "And I guess she's made up her mind that Apple's upset about the whole thing? I'm not sure I really get it." "I lived with Apple the whole semester after the Dragon Games," Raven tisked, "And I think she was more confused than upset. Darling's my friend, too... it's kind of awkward that they're avoiding each other like this, and it's getting wicked frustrating. At the same time, though, I royally hate the idea of meddling-- I mean, they're capable people. They should be able to work things out themselves." "Maybe you could forward her the hotline for Cupid's radio show?" Dexter shrugged, smiling nervously. "I mean... not like I've ever used it myself, but what I hear a lot is that she gives pretty sound advice?" Raven elbowed him, "Don't worry about it too much... I think everyone's used Cupid's hotline. The problem is that Cupid was supposed to be an exchange student for one year only... you wouldn't know if she stuck around?" "Oh! Um, yeah, actually. She was staying at school over the summer, too," Dexter pushed up his glasses. "She said something about how her transportation had some problems, so she might be transferring permanently, or at least staying on for another year. She seemed pretty happy about it, though... I think she and Darling had plans to be roommates this year." "No way! Really?" an odd mishmash of emotions flickered across Raven's face briefly. "I hope nothing bad happened. Maybe if it's a magical problem, I can see if I can fix it. But all the same, I'm royally glad that she'll be around. Besides, at least Darling has someone around who knows what she's doing." "You and me both," Dexter smiled, wholly genuine, and though Raven most notedly did not swoon, it was a near thing in that moment. "Oh, um, hey, that's... definitely the tea shoppe over there," she jerked her head in that direction, and wondered at how quickly the time had passed. "We probably shouldn't keep Maddie waiting." "There you guys are!" Maddie popped her head out of the entryway and waved as if on cue. "Just in time for three-ses! After all, you and you and I make three, and wouldn't you know? Dad just finished icing a triple-cumulus chocolate cake!" "Well," Dexter chuckled. "We definitely don't want to miss that." Raven winked back, "We definitely don't." ||Previous Chapter||Next Chapter|| Category:Pixie Dust and Hydrogen Category:Fanfiction Category:Canon Character Fanfiction